Andy's Question:
Karen, I am planning a trip from the UK and would benefit from some advice. Could you recommend a trail that would allow five to six weeks of walking with backcounty camping? I'd like to go solo and visit some of the great outdoor sites in the USA. Coming from the UK I want it to be a good one. I was thinking Yosemite/Yellowstone/Tetons and do not know where to start! Thanks in anticipation.
— Andy
Karen's Answer:
Andy,
Decisions, decisions!
You know, of course, that there's no one right answer to your question. The United States is blessed with some of the most absolutely extraordinary scenery to be found anywhere. Let me tell you about some of my favorites.
Wyoming's Wind River Range (in the Bridger Teton National Forest) is near Grand Teton National Park, which gives you two spectacular places within a short distance of each other — not to mention Yellowstone just to the north. In the Winds, there are hundreds of miles of trails: You can take the Continental Divide Trail for more than 100 miles from one end of the range to the other, and most of those miles are above 10,000 feet! You can also hike through Yellowstone National Park (although you'll probably want to rent a car in order to see all the “front country” natural wonders).
Two other incredible long hikes are the Continental Divide Trail in Colorado and the Colorado Trail. The CDT is longer, about 750 miles; the CT is “only” about 500. The CDT is higher (averaging more than 11,000 feet) and wilder, but the views of range after range of snow-capped peaks is absolutely incredible. Both require good backcountry skills, including map and compass.
California's High Sierra (which includes Sequoia, King's Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks) is also one of our most spectacular places, with glaciated granite pinnacles reaching for the sky, 12,000 and 13,000-foot passes, and beautiful lakes and tarns. It would probably be my first choice (actually, I honeymooned there and have since been back a bunch of times). Following the Pacific Crest Trail, it's more than 350 awesome miles from Kennedy Meadows Campground (at the southern end of the South Sierra Wilderness) to Sonora Pass (near the North end of Yosemite National Park). North of Sonora Pass is beautiful as well—no reason not to keep going!
Two summers ago, my husband and I hiked Washington's 500 miles of Pacific Crest Trail, and I thought it was one of the best hikes I've ever been on. You'll see the great volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest (Rainier, Adams, and Mt. St. Helens) as well as the snaggle-toothed, craggy North Cascades. August is the best month for this hike. The best part of this hike is the 275 miles from Snoqualmie Pass to the Canadian border.
If you like deserts, a hiking tour of Arizona and Utah is also a treat. There is an 800-mile Arizona Trail that has some wonderful hiking, including the Grand Canyon. Bryce Canyon, Arches, Zion, and Canyonlands National Parks are all nearby in Utah. Warning: Stay out of Arizona during the summer—it's too hot to hike.
Finally, if you want to meet lots of Americans, hiking any part of the Appalachian Trail will give you the opportunity to make lifelong friends and have a LOT of fun. Quite honestly, the AT lacks the heart-stopping drama of the West, but it is one of my favorite places, nonetheless. The most spectacular sections are found in New England—although Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia rank pretty high in the scenic department, too.
Good luck in making a choice: You can't go wrong!
